Circus Mojo classes and workshops teach juggling, hat tricks, partner acrobatics, plate spinning, theatrical clowning, and ball, stilt, and tight-wire walking. Instructors cater to the personal needs and talents of their students, bolstering and spotlighting everyone's unique mojo. Students gain respect for themselves and each other as they develop skills as individuals and as an ensemble. At the end of each class series, students experience the creative process of producing and performing in their own Circus Mojo Show. All levels welcomed!

Kids ages 7 to 17 learn circus skills along with life skills in our after-school programs. Workshops also are available.

Circus Wellness is a Circus Mojo enrichment program that helps those who are sick become active participants in the circus arts. Circus Wellness prescribes immediate enjoyment and empowerment to participants through music, improvisation, and instruction. In a hospital setting, a Mojo artist might enter a patient’s room playing the melodica (an instrument similar to but smaller than the accordion) to make initial contact in an easy, non-threatening manner. From there, artists entertain participants with theatrical clowning and teach a variety of skills from balancing a peacock feather to spinning a plate. For instance, a kid who learns to spin a plate while laying in a hospital bed gets to show off a special skill their parents, nurses, and doctors do not know how to do. This role reversal takes on profound meaning as the young patient shares something new and interesting with their caretakers.

For major medical institutions we solve many issues in a very unique way, Circus Mojo at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) keeps customer service satisfaction high for parents and children in hospital waiting rooms. Survey results from a recent quarter at CCHMC provided by 611 customers revealed 582 Very Satisfactory, 16 Satisfactory, and 13 Unsatisfactory regarding waiting room experience at Children’s Hospital (Unsatisfied Comment: “There were no circus performers” & ”I wish I came here on Wednesday” Mojo’s scheduled day). Circus Mojo uses humor as a coping tool while offering a unique opportunity for patients to learn a new skill. Our goal is to diminish limitations and inspire confidence, increase coordination, and improve behavior.

We positively impact staff morale which builds staff retention rates and makes for an enjoyable place to work for employees and staff members. In many ways our leading product is the work we do in hospitals and in the medical field. We have earned a second year contract at CCHMC and we believe we can replicate this work at leading hospitals across the United States.

Circus Wellness specifically engages staff with the children and their families in the hospital setting. We work in the Rehabilitation, Orthopedic, Hematology/Oncology Clinic and in the day hospital, the Psychiatric Unit, Dialysis, Radiology, and in the concourse and other waiting areas and clinics. The program design was created to impact three areas at CCHMC:

• Customer satisfaction

• HR employee morale/retention recruiting

• Child self-esteem/ healing

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We recently received additional funding and our new contract supports an increase in the number of days in the hospital for the Circus Mojo staff. These marketable metrics are as invaluable to a hospital's bottom line as they are personally satisfying to its staff and administration.

With additional funding, our project will increase to three days per week, including additional visits to the Pediatric Psychiatric Unit at their North College Hill campus and other satellite units.

We are working to expand the program from CCHMC to hospitals across the United States! (Read about us in the CCHMC Newsletter)

What our parents say:

Amber T. - "I just wanted to say THANK YOU! Our daughter is a regular patient at CCHMC and we were surprised a few weeks ago when we saw you in the corridor. It made her whole day!!! (And ours too for that matter!) I am in tears reading about Mojo Medicine!!! :) People think this stuff is silly but it is not at all! The ability of children to LAUGH and PLAY through invasive medical treatments is a beautiful thing. It gives us parents back a small piece of their childhood that we lose sitting inside those four walls (including two open hearts that landed us in the CICU in Cincy for a month) and spent more than a year's worth of days in the hospital in her four years of life. She has lost so much TIME being a kid. It kills me. Thank you for giving just a few minutes of that back to her!!! :)"

Caressa H – “Thank you so, so much for coming to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital today! My nephew and his friends had a blast. Keep up the good work. I know you are putting many smiles on the kids' faces.”

What our clients say:

“They brought a lot of laughter and a lot of smiles to the kids. The patients look up quickly when they arrive and look forward to what they will engage them in. I have some pictures if you want them!”

–Deb C., B.S., CCLS, CLSI, Division of Child Life, Cincinnati, Ohio

Are We in the Hospital?

All the circus tricks, spinning plates and balancing feathers are a great way for patients to use fine and gross motor skills without them realizing they are doing just that. Not once did I hear "I can't do that." It was almost like they completely forgot they were in the hospital. We had a great session with three patients along with their families. The parents enjoyed Mojo Medicine just has much as their son or daughter did.

–Nikki P., MS, CCLS, Rehab Unit Cincinnati, Ohio

Waiting Room Lifesaver

“All of the parents voiced how appreciative they were to have this type of distraction in a clinic waiting room as they had been waiting at least an hour past their appointment time. Mojo Medicine is a lifesaver in the waiting rooms! The kids were so excited to tell all of us about what they saw and how much fun they had and also tried to show us what they learned.”

–Patty H., CCLS, Child Life Specialist I, Cincinnati, Ohio

The Trick Is to Shine

“The patients let go of inhibitions and fears and find themselves transformed from the hospital environment to the circus ring. One patient, described as withdrawn and nonverbal, eagerly helped with a trick. Patients who suffer from low self esteem shine when Mojo Medicine visits.”

“The Mojo Medicine teachers and performers appear to instinctively be drawn to the children who can benefit most from their participation. When he arrived home, a developmentally delayed, deaf teen immediately used sign language to communicate about how he could spin a plate.”

On April 14, 2011 were the featured performers at the Society for the Arts in Health Care in San Fransisco, CA.

"During their performance, a developmentally delayed, deaf teen was chosen to participate on stage to spin plates. When on stage, the child immediately started beaming and taking direction about how to perform the trick. When we arrived home, the first thing that this child did was to use sign language to communicate to his mother all about his circus performance and how he could spin a plate. Circus Mojo teachers and performers appear to instinctively be drawn to the children who can benefit most from their participation."

“It’s one of the neatest things I have ever seen here. He (Paul) has a way with students and a way with helping them allay their fears and realize they can do things that they probably didn’t think possible.”

–Michael W., VP Program Services

Circus Mojo at Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired

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Circability

We also offer programming for adults with mental and physical disabilities at our space in Ludlow KY!

Corporations, from financial firms to construction companies, boost company morale by trying new skills, team building, and showcasing employee mojo. Jumpstart or wind down the work week with a renewed sense of focus, creativity, and teamwork.

This year we are offering two options for Summer Camp payment. You can pay the standard $250, or you can help the Social Circus Foundation 501c3 too! If you choose the option with Donation, you will be charged $150 now and then on the first day of camp, bring a check for $150 made payable to the Social Circus Foundation. You get a tax deduction and a kid in need gets a chance to grow!

Prefer to spectate rather than perform? Bring us to your next celebration, fundraiser, or corporate event. We can provide entertainment for all sorts of events, and Circus Mojo’s Creator and Motivational Clown, Paul Miller, has produced and performed events for a host of prestigious clients.

Classes and workshops adaptable to meet the needs of all students. Populations such as youth and adults with physical and mental disabilities are more than able to learn skills and achieve success in the center ring.